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The Catholic Church in El Salvador is pushing back against a government proposal to end a ban on metallic mining, more specifically on the mining of gold. While the nation’s president has proposed the resumption of gold mining as a means of bolstering the economy, El Salvador’s leading prelate, Archbishop José Luis Escobar Alas of San Salvador, has voiced deep concern about mining’s impact.
The practice of mining gold, and all metallic resources in El Salvador for that matter, was banned outright in 2017. At the time, the primary concern was the protection of the nation’s water resources, which can become tainted by the runoff from mining operations.
In El Salvador, clean drinking water is not a guarantee, and is a resource some regions struggle to access.
According to a report from the Pinnacle Gazette, President Nayib Bukele is leading the government’s call to remove the ban. He has called the 2017 ban “absurd,” a sharp change to the opinions he expressed during his presidential campaign, when he was vocal in his support of the ban on metallic mining. Now, he argues that the untapped potential of El Salvador’s metallic resources could completely transform the country.
While a booming economy is tempting, however, Archbishop Escobar Alas argues that the danger mining presents to the El Salvadorian ecosystem is simply not worth the risk. Not only is the water supply at risk of contamination, but the process of mining requires the use of water at a time when there is not always enough to go around.
The archbishop has firmly placed the Church in opposition to the lifting of the ban, which has created a battle of influence between the Church and the government. The Church may have a great deal of influence in local society, but President Bukele’s political party is somewhat dominant in El Salvador’s Congress. It is possible that legislation to lift the ban could be passed with relative ease.
It is unclear how this situation will develop, but it seems likely that the ban on mining gold will be lifted in the near future. Until then, the archbishop has encouraged the faithful to pray that sustainable environmental practices win the day.
"The church is asking people to reflect on the long-term impacts of their choices on our sacred lands and resources," Archbishop Escobar Alas said.
